Using Kitchen Scraps in Organic Compost
stephens02159
10 years ago
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art_1
10 years agogardenlen
10 years agoRelated Discussions
How to manage composting kitchen scraps in the winter.
Comments (22)I believe the easiest way to get compost to the bin is via 4 children, but I understand there are drawbacks that come with that particular solution. ;-) We generate an enormous amount of compost. Husband loves cooking. He loves buying vegetables more than he loves to cook them, unfortunately. He is more of a meat guy, but based on his shopping I believe he wishes he ate more vegetables. Between the food we do eat and the food that goes bad before we eat it, it's a pile. Our compost pile has been overflowing for a long time, despite being able to use much of the good product this summer. This fall I bought two of these geobins for composting, and so far am happy. I would think they would make a good temporary bin to keep closer by in winter if somebody didn't want to use a plastic garbage bin. I bought them because I truly didn't have time to build anything myself, and by the time I bought supplies I figured I wouldn't be too far off the $32 cost for the geobin. It is easily adjusted from a small to large radius so I didn't have to think about sizing. Geobin composter I used to "do" composting better. Kept it wet, turned, and hot/warm, etc. Our chickens we used to have were a huge help. Now I don't have the time. I'm into cold composting, which is a nicer way to say "dump it and leave it."...See MoreComposting just kitchen scraps
Comments (18)Our compost bin has for years been just 4 pallets which I originally tied together with binder twine. More recently DH has nailed it together. All we did until last year was dump all kitchen scraps with no layering or doing anything except removing the top layer to give it more time and digging out the black compost at the bottom. We only did that once a year in this cold climate. No muss, no fuss, no smells, and no expense. We live on a large acreage with deer, chipmunk, squirrels, mice, fox, coyote, cougars, and bears and only twice in 12 years has a bear been in the pile. He threw the pallets helter-skelter but otherwise no problem. I don't think bears are really attracted to the pile as they are around all the time and would be in it more often if they were. The other animals have never seemed to notice it except for the squirrels and a few birds but they don't eat much. ;-) When we lived in the city on a 60 x 100 foot lot we buried the kitchen scraps between the rows of the garden. Made lovely black soil out of the crummy heavy clay we started with. Again no muss, no fuss, no expense, and even less work than the bin system. I call that system "feeding the worms" and they do all the work. Since discovering this forum I'm trying for faster and more compost so am doing other things as well but all winter all we do is chuck the stuff in the bin. Once all the snow thaws I'll turn it, add more used coffee grounds and some wood shavings and use if for top dressing - kind of compost/mulch. IMO better to compost lazily than not at all....See Moreusing kitchen scraps
Comments (9)You seem to have a slop emergency! Dig a hole or two where you plan to make beds, take a deep breath so you won't have to inhale, and pour it in there. Then put the soil back in the holes. I did this last week with about 20 pounds of shriveling winter squash! With your next bucket, place it at the bottom of a bed and go from there. As long as it's covered by 5 inches or so of soil or organic matter, it will be just fine. Good luck! A few months from now, when your bin is warm and active, you'll be amazed at how much you've learned about rot. Here is a link that might be useful: my website...See MoreTo create organic compost can only organics be used?
Comments (7)Even the organizations that set standards for Organic farms don't insist that compost inputs all have to be Organic. [handy tip: you can distinguish organic (as in, organic matter, organic compost) from Organic (grown without chemical inputs) by capitalizing or not.] A few other thoughts from an environmental chemist: 1) GMOs have slightly different DNA and differences in various proteins, etc. as a result of the modifications. These essentially break down into their component parts in the compost. If you are concerned about seeds, just pull up any volunteers. But there is really nothing else here to contaminate the garden. 2) As far as chemical contaminants, the dose makes the poison. Actually composting methods are used to biodegrade contaminants like gasoline. But even if there are contaminants present in your compost inputs - traces of pesticides on food scraps for example - keep in mind that they do biodgrade at least somewhat in the compost; and you're not eating the compost anyway; AND it is very unlikely that garden plants could even find, much less take up, any residues at levels that would be significant for human health. If you're eating Organic produce, there aren't any going into your pile; and if you're not, you're getting a far larger dose from the part you ate than from plants grown in soil amended with compost made with the scraps....See MoreKimmsr
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